Freezing Vegetables and Fruits

Summer time brings on lots of great produce but if you are anything like me I never get it all used up. So instead of throwing it out I have learned to freeze it so I have more to use in the other months of the year. Freezing vegetables and fruits isn’t hard.

Freezing Fruits

1. Wash your fruits with water, and remove stems if needed.
2. Place into containers or plastic bags and place them into the freezer. Yes it is realy that easy for most of them. Peaches I take the outer skin off by blanching them in hot water followed by a cold shock, but it takes just seconds to do it.
3. If you are going to use the fruit uncooked after freezing, sprinkle with sugar. This creates sweet syrup for using as a topping on desserts or eaten alone.
4. When the fruit is to be cooked in a recipe, create your own syrup before freezing. Mix sugar with water and pour it over the fruit. A plastic container may be better for storage than a freezer bag in this case.
5. Don’t forget to date your packages. Most frozen fruits and vegetables can be stored for several months in the freezer without affecting the taste.

Freezing Vegetables

Freezing Vegetables is a great way to save your summer time bounty if you have a garden. There are a few steps but it is well worth the time and effort because you are in charge of how many preservatives you are adding to your food.

1. Choose fresh fruits or vegetables, and make sure you are getting the best bargain if you are purchasing them from a farmers market.
2. Wash your vegetables. I usually just use a scrub brush and water to clean mine unless it is something like a tomato then I just use my hands.
3. Blanching is a process that allows you to preserve the flavor and color of your vegetables. Add your vegetables to boiling water with salt in it.
4. Prepare your cold water with ice cubes in a bowl to cover your vegetables you are blanching. I just use my kitchen sink for this.
5. Remove vegetables from the boiling water and place into cold water bath to shock them and stop the cooking process. Let them cool completely and then place them into your storage container.
6. Date your containers and place them directly into the freezer and you will have vegetables ready for grilling and sauteing that will cook in just minutes.

To enjoy your favorite fruits and vegetables all year around, freeze them.